MetaFilter posts tagged with pakistan and AlQaeda

“Once it’s your pop stand, you look at things a little differently”

lalochezia — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:04:36 -0800

The NYT reports on how a Secret 'Kill List' tests Obama's principles and will Previous articles in the series

"From the ground, drones are terrifying weapons that can be heard circling overhead for hours at a time."

mediareport — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:41:12 -0800

"What's that buzzing sound?" Foreign Policy's third annual War Issue focuses on what it calls "Barack Obama's Secret Wars," including My Drone War, in which a Pakistani journalist for Newsday and the NYT describes what drone warfare looks and sounds like from the ground; The Obama Doctrine, which argues drone warfare is a failing strategy in both Yemen and Pakistan; The Evolution of Drone Warfare: A Photo History, 1917-2010, and more. The package also includes two takes on cyberwar - Cyberwar is still more hype than hazard and Cyberwar Is Already Upon Us - along with a lot of interesting links.

Bollywood's Soft Power

reenum — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:54:34 -0800

What might help defeat Muslim extremists in Pakistan for good? Bollywood!

Pakistan's Secret Dirty Little War

lalochezia — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:21:37 -0800

Pakistan's Secret Dirty Little War

nation building

kliuless — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:54:39 -0800

One Night in Afghanistan
THE PRESIDENT: at a time when too many American institutions have let us down, when too many institutions have put short-term gain in front of a commitment to duty and a commitment to what's right... all of you want to build -- and that is something essential about America. [Al Qaeda and the violent extremists have] got no respect for human life. You see dignity in every human being. That's part of what we value as Americans. They want to drive races and regions and religions apart. You want to bring people together and see the world move forward together. Shields & Brooks on Obama's surprise visit to Afghanistan

JIM LEHRER: That was a good speech, wasn't it, David? DAVID BROOKS: Yes, it was just really tremendously good. And -- and -- but the idea that you can talk Karzai into being what we hope him to be is just not going to happen. So, we better have some work-arounds. JIM LEHRER: Work-arounds? MARK SHIELDS: Well, yes. I mean, the -- it was interesting that the president was there unexpected, unannounced, so that Karzai could not get the -- the political pluses of having ceremonial photo opportunities or anything. He was in and out. He gave him the -- he gave him the stern Dutch uncle lecture. And that was -- that was the purpose of the visit, other than the troops, as David pointed out. And, you know, we're seeing, with General Jones on the show last night with you, and from other reports, without a functioning, honest, responsive government on the ground, all the military efforts in the world, on the part of the Afghans, all the military efforts in the world and sacrifice by Americans mean nothing, if there is nothing there to take its place.

Karzai Slams the West Again Karzai accused the U.S. of interfering in his country's affairs and saying the Taliban insurgency would become a legitimate resistance movement if the meddling doesn't stop. U.S. Aims to Ease India-Pakistan Tension President Barack Obama issued a secret directive to intensify American diplomacy aimed at easing tensions between India and Pakistan, asserting that without détente between the two rivals the administration's efforts to win Pakistani cooperation in Afghanistan would suffer. A Victory for Obama From an unlikely quarter—Pakistan. U.S.-Yemeni Ties Expand in Fight Against Al-Qaida In a series of reports from Yemen, Margaret Warner talks to the country's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, about security threats, government corruption and relations with the U.S.

MARGARET WARNER: You had an interview Friday night with Al-Arabiya, Arabic satellite television, where you made a point of saying there are no U.S. troops here in Yemen. Why? Why was that important to say? ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): This is normal, because there are no U.S. troops on Yemeni territories, neither offshore or onshore. There are some elements who are going -- making training for Yemeni personnel. I wanted to confirm to the world, to the Yemeni people that there was no U.S. troops. At the same time, we have no agreement, we have no treaty with the U.S. on the presence of U.S. troops in Yemen. MARGARET WARNER: What would be the consequence if the Yemeni people thought there were U.S. troops either here or on the way? ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): Actually, there's no reason that U.S. troops be in Yemen. And we don't have any intentions here in Yemen -- and we believe the same with the U.S. They don't have any intention to have their troops here in Yemen, because there is no justification for their presence here in Yemen. MARGARET WARNER: Now, some of these military strikes that you have been able to target at al-Qaida hideouts, militant figures, have those been all Yemeni airstrikes, or have there also been American airstrikes? ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): There is a cooperation in the field of information exchange. These strikes are almost -- most of them are Yemeni. MARGARET WARNER: So, most of the airstrikes, but not all of them, have been done by Yemeni forces? ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): I would say, most of the strikes are Yemeni, because all what I'm aware of is the Yemeni strikes that we launched.

U.S. Linked to Airstrike on Terror Target in Yemen Jeffrey Brown talks to Margaret Warner about her reporting trip to Yemen and security concerns from off-shoots of al-Qaida taking root in the country.

MARGARET WARNER: Well, Jeff, I have been able to confirm, really at the highest levels of the U.S. and Yemeni governments, that one particular airstrike in December in Abyan Province in southern Yemen in which civilians were killed was, in fact, the work of the U.S. Now, the Yemen government has said consistently the opposite... The U.S. administration, at the same time, of course, doesn't want it to be known that U.S. planes were used or U.S. assets were used in raids like this. But it is -- I think it's -- I know for a fact that it is the case. JEFFREY BROWN: This is clearly a very sensitive subject there in Yemen and here in Washington, as you say. Tell -- why? What are the stakes? What's going on? MARGARET WARNER: Well, Jeff, in my reporting in Yemen, what became clear is that the bargain the U.S. has made with the Yemenis to fight al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the sort of new offshoot, or newly revived offshoot of al-Qaida, the bargain is, the Yemenis need the U.S. help, but it can't have a U.S. face.

Marjeh One Month On

The Intelligence Factory

smoke — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:36:17 -0800

A journalist tries to track down the truth about a recent terror detainee.

Pakistan's Jihadi Problem Worsens

homunculus — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:30:08 -0800

Pakistan in Peril. "The relative calm in Iraq in recent months, combined with the drama of the US elections, has managed to distract attention from the catastrophe that is rapidly overwhelming Western interests in the part of the world that always should have been the focus of America's response to September 11: the al-Qaeda and Taliban heartlands on either side of the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan." [Via]

Talibanistan

homunculus — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:45:22 -0800

Right at the Edge. "The Taliban and Al Qaeda have established a haven in Pakistan’s tribal areas along the Afghan border. This is where the war on terror wil be fought – and possibly lost."

Pakistan’s Phantom Border

homunculus — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:55:10 -0800

Pakistan’s Phantom Border. "Pakistan is often called the most dangerous country on earth. Increasingly, its people would agree. Despite nearly $6 billion in U.S. military aid for the border region since 9/11, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and homegrown terrorist groups have eroded the border with Afghanistan, inflicting a steady toll of suicide bombings. Going where few Westerners dare—from Taliban strongholds to undercover-police headquarters—the author sees what’s tearing the country apart."

Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S. Part 2

homunculus — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:45:43 -0800

"The United States Lacks a Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas" (PDF). A recent GAO report claims that the Bush administration has failed to prevent Al Qaeda's reemergence in Pakistan, and that we're basically right back where we started in 2001.

War on Terror Update

kirkaracha — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:02:30 -0800

The US pays Pakistan $1 billion a year to fight al Qaeda, but Pakistan doesn't do much fighting. Iraq is a "a big moneymaker" for al Qaeda, and al Qaeda's leadership may be stronger than ever.
[more War on Terror inside]

Parsing Terror

digaman — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 07:36:09 -0800

Osama bin Laden, littérateur and new-media star. A thought-provoking analysis of bin Laden's adept use of Koranic language and the Internet by Bruce B. Lawrence, an Islamic scholar at Duke who edited a new anthology of bin Laden's public statements called Messages to the World. The Western media -- says the millionaire mass-murderer formerly trained as a useful ally by the CIA via Pakistan's ISI -- "implants fear and helplessness in the psyche of the people of Europe and the United States. It means that what the enemies of the United States cannot do, its media are doing!" Know thy enemy. [via Arts and Letters Daily.]

More good news

greatgefilte — Sun, 08 May 2005 00:25:30 -0800

“What I remember of him is he used to make the coffee and do the photocopying.” A flattering portrait of 'Bin Laden general' Abu Faraj al-Libbi, the 4th Al-Qaida #3 man captured so far.

Kashmir

SandeepKrishnamurthy — Tue, 30 Mar 2004 06:42:37 -0800

Has the US promised Kashmir to Pakistan? During his recent visit, Colin Powell named Pakistan a US ally. This move has people in India concerned about what the US is willing to give Pakistan to fight Al-Qaeda. [The site has pop-ups. Sorry.]

What's next from Al Qaeda

y2karl — Sun, 23 Nov 2003 16:02:26 -0800

The Protean Enemy by Jessica Stern, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2003
What accounts for al Qaeda's ongoing effectiveness in the face of an unprecedented onslaught? The answer lies in the organization's remarkably protean nature. Over its life span, al Qaeda has constantly evolved and shown a surprising willingness to adapt its mission. This capacity for change has consistently made the group more appealing to recruits, attracted surprising new allies, and -- most worrisome from a Western perspective -- made it harder to detect and destroy. Unless Washington and its allies show a similar adaptability, the war on terrorism won't be won anytime soon, and the death toll is likely to mount. Other texts by Jessica Stern: How America Created a Terrorist Haven, Pakistan's Jihad Culture, Talking With Terrorists. Classical Reference: Proteus.

Our friend Pakistan?

homunculus — Sun, 14 Sep 2003 13:55:33 -0800

"Newly declassified US intelligence documents say Pakistan helped Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group to start its operations in Afghanistan in the 1990s and even secretly ran a major terrorist training camp." The declassified documents were obtained and posted as "The Taliban File" by the National Security Archive, and describe the closeness of al Qaeda and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) before the later lost control. [Via the Agonist and Juan Cole.] [More inside.]

al queda and pakistan

specialk420 — Thu, 21 Nov 2002 19:09:49 -0800

al queda and pakistan an excellent interview supporting an excellent frontline presentation on al queda - is the US winning or losing the war on terrorism?

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry

Steven Den Beste — Thu, 04 Oct 2001 05:40:09 -0800

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry says that the evidence against Al Qaeda is convincing. The Taliban say that even if they were given convincing evidence, they still wouldn't give up bin Laden.